


Starlight

by angelsan



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Hurt/Comfort, Magical Girls, Slow Burn, Star Guardian AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 17:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13618584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsan/pseuds/angelsan
Summary: Supports and assassins don't go well together, and Soraka learns this first hand. (Star Guardian AU)





	1. Last Wish

Shining bright is what they did as Star Guardians, yet she was always taught that bright lights never last long. Fighting the Voidlings was something they always found themselves doing, it was their duty. But as they defended the city and humankind from the darkness, who was protecting them?

 

As a more supportive member of the team, Soraka never found herself destroying as many Voidlings as everyone else, yet they never made her feel bad about her lack of combative strength. Her specialty was healing magic, and they weren’t going to shame her from her talents. They did make sure to teach her how to defend herself with the Starlight, since the monsters could be anywhere at anytime. Her team tried their best to look out for her the way she did for them, and that’s all she could ask for. 

 

Her team held a special place in her heart, and she wouldn’t of traded them for the galaxy. 

 

She strived to keep everyone in sight on the battlefield. Too many things could go wrong in a fight and she hated to see any of them in pain. Some nights were easier than others, but the fear always remained that one of her partners would get hurt while fighting. Pain and hurt was something that Soraka never wanted to see on their faces, yet it was inevitable in the fight against the Darkness.

 

It was strange to think that she was a warrior for the First Star when she hated fighting and conflict. She couldn’t imagine quitting her job as a Star Guardian though; she wouldn’t dare leave her teammates alone. Staying by their side and supporting them was her role, and she loved it. There are times that she wished that she was stronger and could fight more with her team, but they never failed to remind her that they were grateful to have her on their team, regardless of her fighting ability (of course Syndra would never say it to her face, but whenever she was feeling down her favorite treats always appeared in her room). 

 

Right now however, she wished that she was stronger. 

 

Voidlings attacked the city whenever they wanted, most commonly at night. They appeared deep in the forest, and Soraka remembered flying out with her team. But the chaos of battle quickly took over as she was lost, battling the monsters the best she could. It felt like tonight that all of them were focusing her.

 

Twirling her staff, she threw some magic behind her at the horde of monsters chasing her. The light magic didn’t seem to phase them however as they continued their hunt. She ran as fast as she could, trying not to trip on any stray branch or twig. Darkness was all around her, the light from her staff was the only thing illuminating the night. It’s soft glow illuminated her way deeper and deeper into the forest, the only thing guiding her was her instinct to run. She couldn’t let the Voidlings take her Star Gem; she wouldn’t let herself become corrupt.

 

The Voidlings only seemed to take interest in destroying sources of Starlight, and the Star Guardians who were large sources of the light. Their claws tainted anything they touched and so their only desire was to grasp Starlight and watch as it slowly became corrupt, losing its purity until it was just darkness. 

 

A Star Gem is a physical vessel that contained Starlight and also gave the Star Guardians the ability to transform. Each Star Guardian was bound to their own Gem, their light stored within the gem. If the Gem was to become corrupt and shatter, the respective guardian would lose their power to wield Starlight and slowly but surely they would disappear, returning to the cosmos. 

 

Ahri has told her stories however, of stars that was corrupted by the darkness. But instead of the gems shattering, they instead held darkness inside of them. The Star Guardians turned then into the Dark Stars, warriors that fought to spread the darkness. According to Syndra, they existed a long time ago, but they had just suddenly disappeared and there hasn’t been a trace of them since. Rumors spread all over the cosmos about what happened to them; their souls corrupted with darkness and their lives were sucked away from them. And Soraka never wanted to become corrupt and potentially be forced to be fight her friends.

 

But Fate had other plans for her.

 

Monsters with their sharp claws stretched as far as they could, for a chance to knick her. Chasing her down endlessly, wanting nothing but to see her Star Gem corrupt, to watch as the bright Starlight inside slowly fade away to darkness. As the chase continued, it felt like more and more of them were appearing, surrounding her. 

 

Soraka glanced around her, hoping to see the light of one of her teammates but all she could see was the bright glowing eyes of the monsters, the darkness shrouding the rest of their body. Before she could even blink, a pair of eyes grew bigger as the monster came closer, leaping towards her. Darkness was no longer its cover and she could see it was nothing like she has seen before. This monster had insect qualities: wings and claws like a praying mantis. The monster also had something different, like a sliver of light within it…

 

Soraka couldn’t study it anymore because it lept towards her again, its claws aimed towards her neck. This monster wasn’t just out for her Star Gem, it was out for her blood.

 

She knew it was an improper use of her staff, but she had to get the monster away from her; the horde was catching up to her. So as it lept towards her, she swung at him as hard as she could with her staff and kept running. That insect was faster than any of the other monsters that she’s faced before, and if she wasn’t careful it would be her blood on it’s claws. 

 

Running as hard as she could, step after step after step, she looked around her. Where was her team? She hadn’t seen any of them ever since they started fighting the monsters and she could really use some help handing them right now. 

 

Looking around frantically, a speck of light caught her eye. There! It had to be someone over there! Sprinting towards the light, her legs feeling heavier than lead. 

 

Would it be Syndra that was over in that clearing? She would be able to handle these monsters without breaking a sweat; Soraka knew that Syndra was very powerful. 

 

Could it be Ahri? The leader would charm and destroy the monsters in a heartbeat the moment her eyes caught them chasing her. 

 

Or maybe it would be Sarah? Sarah never held any remorse firing Starlight into the monsters and slaying them. 

 

It could be Ezreal, Soraka supposed. The newest member was full of energy, always blinking everywhere and making it a contest to see who could slay as many as possible.

 

Destiny wasn’t kind to her though. 

 

Instead of any of her teammates standing in the clearing, it was a woman that Soraka couldn’t identify. There was a speck of light that illuminated her chest lightly, the same light that Soraka saw from a distance. At her side was a ball of energy that floating next to her, similar to the way Syndra held Multi at times. 

 

But before Soraka could study her anymore, she was suddenly tackled to the floor. Her shoulders slammed the floor and her head throbbed lightly. The surprise loosened her grip on her staff so it just layed there uselessly on the floor near her. And on top of her was the same insect that had tried to tackle her earlier, both claws right next to her ears.

 

“Finally… I caught you.” Soraka’s eyes began to water as the insect raised one claw, prepared to embed them into her skull. This was it. She was about to get killed by this monster, its sharp claws to be the one to end her life. There were going to be so many things that she was going to miss.

 

The way Ezreal and Sarah argued with one another despite the obvious care between the both of them.

 

The way Ahri seemed to magically know when she was feeling down.

 

The way Syndra would double, triple, even quadruple check the battle plan with each member to make sure that they would come back every night. 

 

But there must be something that Soraka missed, because she wasn’t going to be coming back tonight. 

 

A tear ran down her cheek as she closed her eyes, ready to face the First Star in the after life. 

 

The only thing she wished she could do, the last thing she wished to do while she was alive, was to tell her team that she loved them. 

 

But that claw never came down. Soraka could feel the sudden magic in the air, pushing the insect off of her as her body was relieved of the weight that used to lay on top of her. Before she could open her eyes, a hand grasped hers and pulled her standing. The first thing Soraka noticed when she opened her eyes was the worried gaze of Sarah; her eyes holding onto tears that were about to fall. Her gaze quickly hardened as she stared at the insect, hatred quickly taking over the sadness in her eyes. 

 

Before she knew it, Soraka was on her feet and was being ushered back by Ezreal, away from the chaos that was about to take place. There was no doubt that Ahri was furious, so close to losing another close team member. 

 

“It is strange… Have I seen you before?” The woman’s voice was faint. Ahri’s attention shifted from the insect to her, sharp eyes looking for any sign of an incoming attack.

 

“Doesn’t matter. You better say your prayers because I’m not nice to anyone who tries to hurt my family.” Ahri’s orb swiftly flew through the air towards her, but before it could hit the woman, the ball by her side moved suddenly, the two orbs clashing mid air. The insect got back on its feet and disappeared in a shroud of invisibility, only to leap towards Syndra. 

 

Before it could land upon her however, a bolt of Starlight nailed it in the face. Sarah had one of her guns aimed at each stranger, ready to shoot. She was silently fuming, Soraka knew. Whenever Sarah got angry about something, she wasn’t afraid to voice her anger. But right now, she was silent, the fury stewing inside of her. 

 

“Ezreal, you go take Soraka back and patch her back up. We’ll take care of things here.” Ahri glanced back at the pair. To Soraka’s surprise, Ezreal didn’t object to the order and gently put his arm around her, leading her away from the impending fight. Usually Ezreal would be the first person in the fight, the man finding joy in the fight of justice and helping the universe, so it was strange to see him willingly back away from a fight.

 

“C’mon Raka, you look like you’re in need of a bath.” Soraka frowned; she didn’t want to leave the three here to fight. What if they got hurt and she wasn’t around to heal them? What if they needed her? She was the only healer that the team had; she knew how important her healing abilities were to the team dynamic. What if they didn’t come back?..

 

“Go Soraka, don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine, just need some time to kick these guys into a different galaxy.” Syndra’s voice had something else in it, something that she’s never heard before. Her voice sounded darker and much more wicked. Before she could argue, Ezreal had pulled them both into the air, the pair exiting in a beam of blue and green. 

 

Flying in the air the first time was terrifying for Soraka, but over time she got over it. Instead of fear, she found beauty in the illuminated skyline. The bright street lights turned into small specks of light at the height they were flying, and seeing city glow softly was something Soraka would never get tired off. 

 

Soraka was startled out of her thoughts when the pair landed on the appartment’s terrace. The two were dressed normally, no longer in their magical uniform. The team all lived together in the cozy apartment, where Ahri and Syndra shared a room while Soraka and Sarah shared a room, with Ezreal had his own room. It could get a bit crowded at times, she’d admit but there was never a dull moment in the home. 

 

“Oh don’t you fall asleep on me now Raka. I’ll go run you a bath and throw in one of those bath bombs that you like.” Ezreal gently lead her inside, exhaustion suddenly taking its toll on her. Her eyes drooped as he rummaged around, looking for her bath supplies. 

 

“Thanks for taking me home Ezreal, it would have been really stupid if I stayed there…” A gentle kiss was placed on her forehead.

 

“Don’t worry about it Raka, we all need to look out for each other.” A light blush colored her cheeks, but before she could say anything Ezreal was out of the room. “Lemme know if you need anything, I’ll have some hot chocolate ready for you when you’re finished.”

 

The bath was peaceful, the warm water soothing her tired muscles. Soraka looked down at her reflection, tinted a slight pink due to the bath bomb. She was fine. Yet she couldn’t help the worries that came to mind. Sarah, Ahri, and Syndra were still out there fighting the insect that was hunting her down and the woman. Who was she anyways? Why was she even there? There was no way that she was a normal citizen; she had this light inside of her she’d never seen before. And the insect…

 

Tears welled up in her eyes again; the thought filled her with terror. She had almost died out there; that insect was hunting her down ferociously. Her life was in it’s hands and it was simple task to just end her life. Soraka couldn’t help the sob that escaped her as the tears streamed down her cheeks. She had never come close to losing her life in battle before. She knew that everyone has had close calls before, the only exception being Ezreal. Soraka knew that Syndra always planned Soraka and Ezreal to be in the least riskiest positions as possible. The older three could handle it, she knew. They had been a Guardian for a long time, and they were so strong. And yet she couldn’t help but feel helpless. She couldn’t do anything against it. She couldn’t fight it off. She couldn’t destroy it. She was-

 

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Hey Raka, everyone else is back if you want to see them. Don’t rush; just take your time, okay? Though you might want to rush a little, Ahri brought back some cinnamon rolls and I know they’re your favorite.” Ezreal’s quiet voice seemed to echo in the room.

 

Soraka waited to hear his footsteps disappear before she lifted herself out of the cooling water, trying not to spill water anywhere. After drying herself and getting dressed, she made her way to the living room, where the rest of her team was gathered around the coffee table, snacking on the cinnamon rolls. 

 

“Oh there she is.” All eyes turned to her and Soraka felt her cheeks warm. Despite being on the team for over a year, she still wasn’t used to all of the attention shifting onto her. 

 

“Don’t be shy, there are still some cinnamon rolls left for you to have. Come eat, we know they’re your favorite.” Sarah pat the couch cushion, inviting her to take the seat next to her. After taking her seat, her hands were suddenly full with a mug of warm hot chocolate and a steaming cinnamon roll, courtesy of Ezreal. Soraka sat there, silently snacking as everyone else made small talk. She wanted to contribute to the conversation, but exhaustion made her body feel so heavy. She closed her eyes, just for a moment she told herself. But before she knew it, the sound of chatter grew fainter and fainter and the weight in her hands disappeared.

 

“Good night Soraka” was the last thing she remembered before she drifted to sleep.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her near death experience, Soraka is finding that everything is different for some reason.

After that night, everything seemed to be the same. Soraka still attended her regular classes. She still spent her free time volunteering at the animal shelter. The team still had their weekly movie nights. She still occasionally joined Sarah at the gym. She still had her regular tea times with Syndra. She still enjoyed the shopping trips with Ahri. She still had her study sessions with Ezreal.

Yet, everything felt different.

Soraka still did everything in her normal life (as normal as it could be for a magical girl at least), but as time goes on, Soraka felt more and more tired. It was weird, slowly but surely her days had started to blend together. Her joy in life was being sapped away, and she knew why. 

Nightmares.

Ever since her near-death experience, her dreams turned into terrors. Night after night, she found herself in that same forest, running for her life as hard as she could. Every night she was pinned down once again, the same claw about to pierce her neck. And every night she woke up, gasping for air she was so sure a moment ago that it wasn’t there. Tears were always in her eyes as she tried to calm herself from the terror. It was nights like these that made her glad that Sarah was a heavy sleeper.

Soraka was frustrated with herself. She knew that the exhaustion was taking a toll on her physically and emotionally. She was less patient with everyone, even if she didn’t show it. There were so many little things that irritated her, things that previously she could tolerate. She didn’t know what to do with herself, ever since that night everything has been different.

Soraka let out a sigh. The clock on her nightstand displayed 3:27 but she couldn’t fall back asleep after that nightmare. Usually she would be able to fall back asleep after calming herself down, but tonight didn’t seem to be one of those nights. She might as well put herself to work since she can’t sleep any longer. Slipping out of bed, she made her way to work on the dining table, not wanting to risk disturbing Sarah’s sleep. It was serene to just sit and focus, the only sounds was the soft violin music that came out of her laptop, as well as the tapping of the keys. Her focus broke when she heard a door open from the hall.

Syndra was undoubtedly an early riser, along with Soraka. Ahri and Sarah rose a little later, but Ezreal slept into the early afternoon. Soraka had no idea how Ezreal could stand sleeping for that long, wasting so many hours of sunlight to slumber. She hated wasting time. Time was a resource that people only had a limited amount to, and when people ran out…

“What are you doing up so early? How long have you been working here?” Syndra’s voice was quiet, to avoid waking up the others. Glancing at the bottom left of her screen, Soraka realized that it was a little past 6.

“Oh, I just had a nightmare and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I figured that I could just get some work done. I’ve been here for maybe three hours?” Before Soraka could say more, Syndra strided over to her makeshift workspace and flicked her forehead before messing up her bedhead. 

“If you ever need company after a nightmare, the door is open. You know that.” Soraka could only smile sheepishly at Syndra’s words. She knew that Syndra tried her best to show her care towards the other members, she just didn’t know how to phrase it majority of the time. 

“Yeah I know Syndra. I just don’t want to deal with Ahri’s snoring, that’s all.”

“I didn’t know that my teammates were willing to gossip about me, wow the respect for team leader is totally here.” Ahri glared jokingly at the two girls, who were both giggling. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips. “Besides, we all know that the only person who snores in the house is Ezreal; I hear him snoring still when I get home from class. At noon!” The three giggled as they joked about everything and anything. It was a nice morning, spending time with the both of them. 

“Soraka, would you mind cleaning off your things for breakfast?” Syndra was rummaging around the kitchen cabinets while Ahri looked through the fridge. Sunlight was beginning to peak through the windows, and the hues of red and orange in the sky was beautiful. Soraka couldn’t help herself as she stared at the vibrant colors, that would soon fade to the blue sky.

“It would be nice to watch the sunrise.” Soraka murmured to herself, but forced her eyes away as she started to clean all of her things into a neat pile to bring back to her room after breakfast. 

“It would be nice to watch the sunrise, just the three of us. I would say all five but let’s be realistic, those two would rather sleep than watch the sun rise.” Soraka jumped a little, not expecting Syndra to hear what she said, nonetheless respond. 

“The colors are so beautiful out there! We can probably get really comfortable with some blankets and breakfast and just relax.” Ahri added.

“I’m sure Sarah and Ezreal would love to see them with us, even if they despise waking up early Syndra. We shouldn’t exclude them just because we think they might not like it. It’d be rude not to invite them to team bonding.” Soraka pointed out.

“Well maybe we just wanted to keep you to ourselves.” Soraka’s cheeks flushed as Ahri sent a wink her way.

“Don’t tease her like that Ahri; you know how easily flustered she gets.” A flick found its way on Ahri’s forehead and she pouted. Soraka watched them banter and she couldn’t help her smile. The two were close with each other; it was inevitable as their roles as leader and advisor. But the pair were closer than anyone else in the team, and it was obvious why. Syndra was blunt and factual, someone to ground Ahri when she was too overwhelmed with emotions. While Ahri knew when it was appropriate to joke around but never went over the line of no return and as the two spent more and more time together Syndra learned how to ease up. 

There was something about the two though, but Soraka couldn’t put her finger on it, at first anyways. To her, it was more obvious with Syndra than Ahri, but there was no denying that there was something between the two. And over time, it made sense. The two were in love with each other. The love they held for each other was very different than the love they held for the team. It was much deeper, romantic even.

Love was such a beautiful emotion in Soraka’s eyes. 

It irked her slightly that the only love that people cared about was romantic love. Who was dating who, who broke up with who, all of that gossip. No one paid attention to the affection they had between their friends, family, and everything a person held close to their heart. Soraka loved her team so much, and she knew that everyone returned it in their own way. 

After eating breakfast with the pair, Soraka headed off to the campus for her classes. It was hard to listen to the professor because of the early morning that she had combined with the monotone voice of his. Her classes felt so long, and by the time she was done for the day she was exhausted despite it being early afternoon. But her day wasn’t anywhere close to being over, she still had errands to run. Wait, no, scratch that. Her phone rang and the caller I. D. on the screen sent a chill down her spine. 

Mother.

Taking a deep breath, Soraka slid her finger across the screen, accepting the call. 

“It’s about time that you picked up. Have you finally come to your senses?” Her mother’s voice was faint, so faint that Soraka had to strain to hear her. 

“I already told you Mother, I don’t want an arranged marriage. I want to fall in love on my own, I don’t want to be forced into marriage just because it’ll benefit you.” Her mother scoffed.

“Oh please, you act like its the end of the world or something. Their company is growing more and more, it’ll be better if you were to marry him now. Besides, you won’t ever have to worry about debt or loans if you married him.”

“Mother, I didn’t work this hard to be a trophy wife, I want-”

“I didn’t raise you all these years just to have it thrown away with your silly desires and what not! You’re such a troublesome child, always causing so much trouble for me. Why can’t you just do as your told?” Before her mother could say more, Soraka quickly hung up. Her mother would call again, to complain about her manners but right now with how exhausted she was, she couldn’t stand to listen to her harsh words. She just wanted to rest at home; her body ached from exhaustion and she just wanted to go to bed. Dragging her feet, she made her way back home, skipping her errands for another day. 

“Soraka? Is that you?” Sarah’s voice called from inside. It was still early afternoon when Soraka came home, meaning that Sarah was going to be taking off to her classes soon. Ezreal didn’t seem to be home, he probably went to the gym or something. 

“Yeah…” Soraka’s voice sounded foreign to her, it was too soft even for her. Sarah poked her head out from their room, frowning at Soraka’s state.

“What’s up with you? You look exhausted.” Tears started building up in Soraka’s eyes, and she couldn’t figure out why. “Hey now, look at me. Come over here.” Before she could think, her legs started moving, her bag slipping off of her shoulder and landing in the entryway, abandoned by its owner. 

“Talk to me Soraka, what’s got you feeling so down?” Sarah guided them both to her bed, sitting on the sheets as Soraka rested her head on her shoulder. Don’t let your tears fall, don’t start crying now, don’t be such a cry baby. 

“You know that I worry and care for you Soraka, even though majority of the time its you looking after me and everyone else.” Sarah let out a light laugh, trying to lighten the mood a little. Soraka could feel her tears stream down her face, too tired to keep them in. Sarah gently wiped them away as Soraka cried silently. She wasn’t sobbing or anything; her nose didn’t run. Yet her tears fell and she couldn’t stop them. 

“Sometimes I think about the time when you first joined the team.” Sarah mused, filling the silence. “How you were so innocent, with the brightest starlight I’ve ever seen in a person. You put so much of yourself on the line, and I wish you could rely on us more. You get so caught up that you don’t have anyone to watch your back and it’s unfair. But I’m so glad that you are the one supporting us, not anyone else. Because you’re the best and I know you put your heart and soul out there to make sure that everyone is okay.” Sarah ushered her gently into bed, pulling a blanket over her.

“Get some rest, we can take care of the house for a few hours as you take a nap okay?” Soraka’s eyes felt heavy, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the crying or exhaustion. But she knew that she was going to have a good sleep after hearing Sarah’s heartwarming words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Less action, more feelings and I swear every chapter wont end with Soraka falling asleep lol


	3. A Lone Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well im late, have some angst i guess

By the time that Soraka woke up, the sky was dark yet it was still bright due to the city lights. She didn’t hear anyone in the house and it was weird since Syndra should have been home by now. Glancing at her phone, it was a little past 7, so she should have definitely been home. But she wasn’t here.

 

No one was here.

 

Soraka was all alone in the dark, the only company was the lights that shone outside. Lights were signs of life, no matter if they were artificially made from electricity or the light inside of a person. There were so many lights around her, from the city and the sky. Life was all around her, yet for some reason she felt so alone. This feeling of loneliness emerged from her heart, and she was confused. She wasn’t lonely, she had her team and they all love her so much. But as she told herself this, a darker voice emerged, deep and rough.

 

_If they really loved you, if they really care for you, where are they now? Where are they in your time of need? You put yourself on the line for them all the time, and they don’t even hold the courtesy to repay you. Do they really even care?_

 

The voice echoed in her head again and again, until she couldn’t hear her own thoughts. She wanted to argue with it, that they cared and they loved her. They loved her as much as she loved them. And yet, she couldn’t at the same time because it was right. As much as they loved each other, they weren’t here while this voice in her head was telling all these lies and slander. Lies about how they don’t care. Lies about how they weren’t there for her. Lies about how they don’t love her.

 

But…. what if these weren’t lies?

 

Ahri and Syndra were closest with each other hands down. Nothing could really tear those two apart, they were partners on and off the battlefield. The pair always watched each other; they rarely stepped off the battlefield with a wound. And even this morning, they were in their small little world with the both of them, despite Soraka being there. They were deeply attached to each other.

 

Sarah and Ezreal had a bit more complicated chemistry, but it was undeniable that it existed. The two were like fire and water, two clashing elements. They bickered all the time, everywhere and anywhere they went, even on the battlefield. Yet the both of them worked together in harmony, always having each others back. It’s just how they worked.

 

Each of them had each other. But as a team of five, there’s always someone left out of the duos. Two duos, one solo. And that solo was her.

 

They love her though. They wouldn’t just leave her behind just because she was different or because she wasn’t as strong. The acknowledge that her starlight was more meant to heal and repair rather than to damage and destroy. Her power was different, not bad.

 

Yet, what if they found someone else? Someone who was more powerful, stronger than her? Someone better than her? They wouldn’t need her anymore. But they would never just drop her, right?

 

A faint laugh could be heard from beyond the door. It sounded like Ezreal. Cracking the door open a little, she peered through the crack. In the living room sat Ahri and Syndra on the loveseat together while Sarah sat on the single seat. Ezreal sat on the armrest of the seat, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. All four of them looked so nice together. There wasn’t really a place for her to fit in the picture. They all looked so cozy just sitting around and chatting. She pushed the door open a little more, the door creaking. They all looked towards the sound.

 

“Oh hey Raka, come over here. I was just telling them stories about how silly my mom could be sometimes. I told you about her, right?” Ezreal beckoned her over.

 

Soraka walked over to the living room, but as she moved to sit on a chair by herself, Sarah gently grasped her wrist and pulled her into her lap. Her face grew warm as she found herself on her friend’s lap, Sarah’s arms wrapped around her waist. Sarah rest her chin against her back, looking out of the corner of her eye paying attention to the story Ezreal was telling. She couldn’t help but fidget in her lap. She hoped that she wasn’t too heavy.

 

Sitting in her lap was comfortable.. Being on her lap made her feel warm inside. She could feel the stress melt away from her body, all her fatigue disappearing. It was a lot more comfortable than she expected. No one commented on it so she didn’t want to say anything. She didn’t want to make it a big deal. She just stayed silent as Ezreal told stories about his family.

 

He was only stopped when Ahri let out a small yawn, which lead to Syndra ushering her off the couch and into bed. Soraka took the chance to slip out of Sarah’s lap and headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water. She didn’t want to stay in her lap any longer than she had to, not because she didn’t like it, but because being in her lap wasn’t the most… appropriate. It shouldn’t be right, but it felt nice. It's not something that friends did, more of a romantic thing.

 

Her face flushed red at the thought. Relationships aren’t really something that Sorak worried about. High school was full of gossip about relationships and drama but she never really paid attention to it. But now that she’s suddenly a young adult, everyone in her family suddenly cared about whether or not she was seeing someone, especially her mother. The thought of her mother made her frustrated, but she was startled by Ezreal popping his head into the kitchen doorway.

 

“Hey Raka, Sarah and I were thinking of watching a movie if you wanted to join?” He was energetic, an eager look on his face that she could never say no to.

 

“Sure, what were you guys thinking of watching?” The three squeezed onto the loveseat together, a blanket spread over their legs. Ezreal sat in the middle of the trio. Sarah had chosen an action movie about a superhero that Soraka didn’t pay too much attention to. The company that made the movie has also made many others, all of which Sarah has made her watch in a giant movie binge when they had first moved into the apartment.

 

Soraka spaced out and before she knew it the movie was over. She let out a soft yawn and glanced over to Sarah and Ezreal. The two had fallen asleep, Sarah’s head rested on Ezreal’s shoulder. The two were leaning towards each other, their hands loosely intertwined. The pair looked cute together, but there was something about looking at them together created this strange feeling inside of her. It wasn’t a good feeling, which was strange because the team had become her family. But she couldn’t figure out what it was either. This negativity welled inside of her, but she didn’t know what to do with herself. Instead, she just draped the blanket over them both, hiding their hands and went to bed on her own, leaving them together.

 

\---

 

After that night, she noticed that Sarah and Ezreal spent a lot more time together, more than she realized. The two had classes around the same time so they took off and came back at the same time. They often went out for dinner after class together, they also often studied together, they often spent time with each other. And Soraka doesn’t really know when they started, but they did.

 

One night while everyone was relaxing in the living room was when everything made sense. Syndra was throwing some popcorn into the microwave while Ahri was setting up a movie.

 

“So uh, I didn’t want to just leave you guys in the dark, but I just wanted to let you guys know that Sarah and I have been dating for a few weeks now. I know this sort of thing is awkward for everyone and you guys probably already know but we also promise that we’ll try not to involve our own problems when we have to work together as a team.” Ezreal looked sheepish, scratching the back of his head with one hand while the other hand was intertwined with Sarah’s. Both had a slight flush to their face and they avoided eye contact with everyone, probably out of embarrassment.

 

“Its mature of you guys to agree not to let your personal problem affect the rest of the team. I already figured but it was also nice of you guys to say it to us.” Ahri broke the silence with a small smile.

 

“Yeah, congratulations to the both of you. It was thoughtful of you to say it out to us.” Syndra added.

 

“Congratulations! I’m happy for you both.” Soraka chimed in, a small smile on her face. She was happy for them. She really was. They made each other happy, and she could accept that, even if that bad feeling had crept up inside her again at their announcement. She pushed the feeling to the side, she didn’t want that bad feeling to ruin her friend’s happiness.

 

“Yeah, we were really nervous about telling you guys because we didn’t know how it would go. I’m glad that you guys are accepting about us.” Sarah avoided eye contact with everyone, partially out of embarrassment and partially out of shyness. “Your opinions are the only ones that really mattered to me so I was worried that you guys might have objected.” Hearing Sarah’s thoughts was heartwarming. She didn’t know how to express her feelings without being overly blunt and usually people got the wrong idea.

 

Soraka was happy that they were happy. They made each other happy. But at the same time, something about their relationship, made her unhappy. She knows that they’re both good people, that they work well together. That they’re both happy with each other. It’s like her worst nightmare come true, that her team would pair off and leave her on her own. She knew that Ezreal and Sarah seemed more distant lately, spending more time with each other. Ahri and Syndra’s schedules don’t align with Soraka’s often either, so she was mostly on her own.

 

No one really had the time for her anymore, and it wasn’t their fault. Schedule after schedule after schedule was exhausting, she was tired as well. She just wished that they could spend more time together trying to relax, rather than stress. They had a mission earlier that week at this construction site where voidlings were feeding off of a meteorite and had started to cause trouble. Other than that, the whole team hasn’t been together.

 

Usually, the whole team would get together once a week to relax and watch a movie of some sort, but lately no one had any free time to just sit back and relax. She missed spending time with her team, her best friends.

 

She was just relaxing in her room doing an assignment when she heard two voices coming from the entryway. The voices were loud, laughter echoing through the silent home. She got up and popped her head out of her room to see who it was. It was Sarah and Ezreal, both laughing and smiling about something they were talking about as they came in.

 

“Hey guys, how was your night? What’s so funny?” Soraka’s voice catching the pair by surprise.

 

“Oh Raka, I didn’t know you were home. It’s nothing, we were just talking about the movie we saw tonight. It was this really cool action movie that came out.” Ezreal and Sarah both came inside, plopping themselves on the couch. Ezreal wrapped an arm around Sarah’s shoulder as she leaned her head against his chest.

 

“The one with all the advertisements everywhere?” Soraka asked.

 

“Yeah, we figured that you wouldn’t like it since there is too fighting for your tastes so we went by ourselves.” Sarah answered. Her response make Soraka’s heart ache. She was sad, that they had gone out on their own and hadn’t even offered her to go. She would have been fine watching the violent movie that was in their tastes, if it meant spending time and going out with them. Her heart ached with loneliness.

 

“Well I’m going to go finish my assignment now, you two have fun.” The two bid her luck on her assignment, not even looking back at her. She silently went back to her room, shutting the door and grabbing her blanket and wrapping it around herself. She settled back to her desk, the sound of the keys the only company that she had as a tear slid down her cheek. 


End file.
